Donation protected
Kodi was born at 3:52 am on 4 July 2025 in Port Macquarie, NSW. Twelve hours later, she was in critical condition with severe respiratory distress.
The NETS team (Neonatal & Paediatric Emergency Transport Service) was activated, and Kodi was flown by helicopter to Westmead Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
Laura and I followed by road — exhausted, overwhelmed, and suddenly guests of Ronald McDonald House, just metres from where our newborn daughter lay surrounded by machines and specialists.
We’re still here. Kodi is still in ICU. We’re still in the thick of it — uncertain, hopeful, afraid.
Over the coming days, I’ll be sharing Kodi’s story as it happens. If you’re going through something similar, I hope it brings a bit of solidarity. If you’re not, I hope it offers some insight into what families like ours are facing behind hospital doors.
This fundraiser is not for us. We live in a lucky country where such services exist. But these services need more than just taxes. These teams run on skill, heart, and community support — and now, we want to give back
We’re raising $29,000 to help those services that have helped us:
- Westmead Children’s ICU
- NETS flight team
- Ronald McDonald House
(All donated funds, less platform fees, will go to the charities in a 70:25:5 split regardless of how much raised. We'll be giving to Port Base Hospital ourselves.)
If you can give a little, that’s great.
If you can share the story, even better.
And if you just want to follow along — that means more than you might think.
We’re not out of the woods yet. But thanks to these people, Kodi is still here.
To make Kodi’s story easier to follow, I’ll also be cross-posting daily updates to Substack.
Organizer
Dustin Welbourne
Organizer
Thrumster, NSW